It'll make sense later: 'The Crimes of Grindelwald' works as part of a franchise

Kristina Fonteskfontes@heraldnews.com

Saturday

Nov 24, 2018 at 4:02 PM

Before we begin in earnest, I just want to say two things:

1. Math is super hard, but it stands to reason that a movie that is No. 2 in a series of 5 means that we are only 2/5 of the way through the series.

2. I'm going to start with some negative things, but I honestly liked "Fantasic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald."

OK, let's begin now with that first item.

This movie is only the second of a promised five films in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. So many of the negative reactions I am seeing online, from moviegoers and critics alike, is that there isn't enough in this movie that makes sense, or too many threads are pulled, or that we don't really get any answers to anything in this movie.

If everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow, when we're only in the second movie, that would be ridiculous.

People need to be patient. There was a lot in the original Harry Potter stories that only makes sense now because we have the gift of perspective.

There are lots of things in "The Crimes of Grindelwald" that absolutely don't make sense right now. If, in the end, that turns out to be due to bad writing, then I will be properly mad. For now, I am just going to hope that we are simply lacking the clarity of the hindsight we will someday have with this story.

Now, on to a couple of negative things, before I talk about the stuff I liked. And I think the best thing I can do to avoid really spoiling anything is to avoid mentioning names whenever possible.

So. There is a character that appears to have joined up with Grindelwald by movie's end. And this person's motivation honestly reads as super weak. Everything we know so far about this character makes this seem like an instance of either "it will make sense later" or the aforementioned bad writing. Time will tell.

I'd also like to address a couple consent issues in this film. In the beginning, one character putting another under their control is played as a joke. Well, it's not. Sure, we laugh because it's a very silly scene. But when you think about someone taking away another's free will, you realize it's not funny at all.

The biggest issue with consent, and, I believe an actual case of bad writing, involves a character whose mother is described as "being seduced by the Imperius Curse" and taken from her family. Potter fans will remember that Imperio is an Unforgivable Curse: it allows the caster to control another person and force them to do whatever they want. In this film, to suggest that this person was compelled to be physically intimate with someone while under a spell that takes away their free will, and to use the word "seduced" in that context is actually horrible. That is not seduction. That is rape. Word choice matters.

Alright. Now let's talk about some positive things, because other than those egregious errors, I honestly enjoyed most of this movie. We pick up six months after the events of "Fantastic Beasts": Grindelwald is gathering followers and committing many crimes. Newt Scamander is being pulled every which way by the struggle now spreading through the wizarding world. He has to pick a side, but the thought of doing that is costing him. He teams up with his friends Tina, Jacob and Queenie, and in this film we also get to meet Newt's brother, Theseus, and Leta Lestrange, once loved by Newt but now engaged to his brother.

We learn that Credence Barebone is alive and in Paris. It's up to Newt and his friends to track him down before Grindelwald or the Ministry of Magic can.

This movie is aptly titled, as Grindelwald and his cronies are indeed guilty of some heinous crimes in this film. He's also busy recruiting people to his side: he wants to establish wizards as the dominant force in society, with non-magical beings and creatures being used for slave labor. Those who aren't killed at least. In some chilling parallels to our own history, as well as current events, he holds a rally where he frightens a bunch of prejudiced and/or misinformed people into joining his cause.

Wizarding Paris is delightful to see. It's hidden almost in plain sight, guarded by a moving statue that beckons people to walk through its base, sort of like Platform 9 3/4. On the other side are the exact same streets of Paris, except with witches and wizards going about their daily business.

There is a lot of world building in this movie, but that's a big part of why I like it. Our characters are fleshed out some more, and we learn some more about old wizarding families that we first heard of in the original Potter books. Newt Scamander and the magical creatures he loves so much are endearing as ever, particularly his Niffler and its babies. They might be treasure-stealing little thieves, but they are adorable. I won't say who is my favorite character though, because regular readers of this column will remember that most of my favorite characters somehow end up dying horribly. So I don't want to jinx anything.

There is a delightful appearance by Nicolas Flamel, famed alchemist and friend of Albus Dumbledore. He has a part to play in the film's emotional conclusion as well.

And speaking of Dumbledore, Jude Law is excellent in the role. While I'm sure most of us are feeling somewhat confused by this new, too-handsome-to-be-real Dumbledore, Law does a good job with him. Much as I like Michael Gambon as an actor, I never really warmed to his Dumbledore. The charm of the character, that twinkle in the eye that so defines Dumbledore in the books, in addition to the suggestion of power beneath that genial surface, is finally starting to appear on film again with this movie.

This movie also introduces us to Nagini, a maledictus. We know her as the future snake companion of Lord Voldemort, but in this film she just seems to be a nice but deeply sad young woman. That's probably because she knows she's under a curse that will rob her of her humanity someday. I'm doing my best to reserve judgment on this plotline, as we don't really know all that much about her yet, but I do not like the idea of making Nagini human, only to have her end up enslaved by Voldemort. That is awful, and I hope her story gives us something more than that.

Overall, there are some things about this movie that might not make sense until we reach the end of the story. But as we still have several movies to go, the best thing for now is to reserve judgment and see where the story takes us.

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